Maybe he'll stay for a while.

My neighbor, two doors to the south, has been mostly absent over the past several years. He built a mansion. And hardly ever lived in it. Put the place up for sale almost right away. Listed at $2 million-plus. Called it a 'dream home' on the for sale sign. Even has an indoor swimming pool. Despite being on the lake. Which, in itself, is a vast swimming pool. Anyway, the mansion hasn't sold. The same goes for his father's mansion. Next door to the son. That one was listed for $4.5 million. By Sotheby's. On the international market. Suppose I should be grateful to these rich people. Because being so close to gaudy mansions enhances the value of my property. Some day, somebody will buy my shack and bulldoze it down. To put up still another mansion. Instead of Hayward Avenue, the street may be dubbed Mansion Row. Anyway, the long-absent rich man's son showed up the other day. Don't know if it's a temporary thing. Maybe a break from his other home in northern Minnesota. Or maybe he's gonna stay for a while. --Jim Broede